Rug underlay



Patented :Apr. 25, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 WILLARD JORDAN SLAGLE, F CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 DEWEY AND ALMY CHEMICAL COMPANY, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORIOLRA TION 0] MASSACHUSETTS Io Drawing.

' adapted as an underlay for, and in combination with, a floor covering to prevent relative sliding motion between said floor covering and a floor, all as more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

Floor coverings, such as rugs for example, are, unless permanently positioned on a floor, notoriously slippery under foot. The tendency of rugs and other floor coverings to slide on a floor under the impulse of the users foot, and particularly when the floor is highly finished or polished as to surface, is due to the very low coefiicient of frlction of the contacting surfaces.

I am aware that various nnderlays for floor coverings have been proposed heretofore, all designed to increase stablllty of the floor covering on the floor under impact; but so far as I know, all these suggested expedients involved either an underlay of textile material which disadvantageously increased the thickness of the floor covering and were cumbersome as well as expensive, or consisted in the application to the under-surface of the floor covering of a frictionsincreasing adhesive material which disadvantageously affected cleaning and frequently resulted in permanent damage to the floor covering itself.

It is an object of the resent invention to provide an underlay or floor coverings which, while effective to prevent slipping,

will not be cumbersome or expensive .and

which will not detrimentallyafiect either the floor covering or the floor.

' In the preferred embodiment'of this invention, I surface both sides; of a sheet of kraft paper, preferably creped to 33% stretch and of about pounds to the ream, with a thin adherent coating of a vulcanized rubber compound which is not so thick as to interfere with the creping qualities of the paper, and is adapted to afford frictional resistance to motion between the paper and RUG UNDERLAY Application filed October 10, 1930. Serial No. 487,922.

the floor and between the floor covering and the paper.

Vhile smooth rubberized paper will function satisfactorilyiwhen clean, i. e. relatively free of dust, and with floor covering having a relatively smooth under-surface, in general and particularly for rugs having relatively rough' under-surface I prefer a. rubberized crepe paper. The crepe paper underlay of this invention" is not disadvantageously affected by dust asis a, smooth underlay. It isxthought that the dust, which in the case of the smooth underlay tends to lower the frictional resistance to motion, becomes segregated in the creases of the crepe paper .out of contact with the floor 0r fioor'covering. Furthermore, the creping results in .-a normally small contact, area, between the underlay and the floor, which, permits the floor covering and underlay to be readily moved about on the floor when desired. But, under the weight of the foot, the creping is deformed with. a consequent great local increase in effective contact area, which is of advantage.

An underlay according to this invention may be madein any of the several ways well known in the art; but I prefer to spray or-.

dinary 60 pound crepe kraft paper, or its equivalent, with an aqueous dispersion of rubber and suitable vulcanizing, accelerating, and anti-oxidation a ents, In order to obtain and maintain a hig coeflicient of friction at the rubber surface the rubber compound should be of the puregum type, 1. e. lightly vulcanized rubber substantiallyfree from loading fillers. Furthermore, the

compound should be non-blooming and protected from'oxidationby means of any of surface, which greatly reduces the coefiicient of friction. Antioxidants are indicated in the interest of long-service life but are I the well-knownantioxidants. A wide choice of coloring agents, accelerators, and rubber 7 not otherwise requisite to the function of the vention in rubber surfacing.

. I usually prepare the material ofthis inlong rolls from which suitably sized pieces may be 'cut to fitsmall ru or several lengths may be assembled wit or without effecting a cementitious' bond as the user may desire. factory to lay down parallel strips of the proper length without attempting any marginal bonding as the frictional resistance to mot1on is such that the relative osition of the several strips of a large un erlay and the superimposed rug is maintained.

By the term rubber I mean any elastlc compoundhaving the desired characteristics 'of flexibility -without adhesive affinity for other solids.

and high coeflicient of friction I claim:

1. A11 underlay for floor coverings comprising a sheet of creped paper presenting on both faces thereof a 'surface'havinga high coeflicient of'friction but no adhesiveness.

2. An underlay for floor coverings com prising-a sheet of creped paper having both faces surfaced with a thin coating of vulcanized rubber. I

3. An underlay for floor coverings comprising a creped material, at least one face thereof being provided with a rubber friction surface.

4. An underlay for floor coverings comprising a creped material, at least one face thereof being provided with a surface of.

vulcanized rubber.

5. An underlay for floor covermgs com.- prismg a cre faces. V

6. An underlay for floor coverings comprising a creped material, having appliedthereto a film of vulcanized rubber, said film being of a thickness not to interfere with the creping of the material.

7. An underlay for floor coverings comprising. a sheet of creped paper having both faces surfaced with a thin coating of'vul-s canized rubber.

8. An underlay for .floor coverings com-, prising a sheet of creped paper,"h'aving applied thereto on opposite faces a film of vulcanized rubber, said film being so thin as not to interfere with the creping.-

Signed by; me at Cambridge, Massachu- ILLARD J. SLAGLE.

In general, I find it satised material its opposite faces eing provi ed. with rubber friction sur- 

